


traditions

by captainmurca



Series: youth [2]
Category: Women's Soccer RPF
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-11
Updated: 2018-08-11
Packaged: 2019-06-25 18:48:03
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,915
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15646758
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/captainmurca/pseuds/captainmurca
Summary: this is old! it's the oneshot from christmas i'm just putting it here bc i deleted it





	traditions

"No."

 

"Mattie, please."

 

"No. It's lame."

 

"It's festive."

 

"Mattie, you have to. Santa said so," Sam said gravely.

 

Tobin smirked. "Yeah, Mattie. Santa said so."

 

Mattie rolled her eyes at Tobin and took the pajama set out of her outstretched hands. "This is so dumb."

 

"It's a tradition!" Tobin called as she walked back into her room. 

 

"It can't be a tradition, you didn't even know us last Christmas." Mattie closed the door with enough noise to demonstrate she was still annoyed, but not so much that Christen would hear from the living room, like she had practiced the exact amount of force to use to get the desired effect.

 

"How do you think traditions start?" Tobin called indignantly through the door. 

 

"I  _ do not _ think she's in the Christmas spirit," Sam judged. 

 

Tobin laughed. "That's okay, bud. You've got enough Christmas spirit for the both of you."

 

"What if Santa doesn't bring her presents because she was bad?" he asked with genuine concern.

 

"I'll talk to him, make sure he let's this one slide. "

 

“Are you sure?”

 

“Yeah, but he’s not gonna be able to come if you don’t go to bed,” she said seriously. 

 

Sam ran down the hall to his door. “I’m going!”

 

Tobin followed him into his room, turning on his nightlight and turning off the lamp next to is bed. She reached over and pulled the covers up to his neck. 

 

“Mama?”

 

“Yeah?”

 

“Can you really make sure Santa still brings Mattie her presents?”

 

She frowned. “Yeah, buddy. Mattie has been good all year, don’t you think?”

 

“Yeah, but I think she needs to have a good Christmas cause I don’t think she really likes it. I don’t want Santa to change his mind now.”

 

Tobin looked at him softly. “He wouldn’t do that.”

 

“How do you know?”

 

She searched for a convincing answer. “Santa doesn’t tell everyone to be nice because he’s, like, mean and bossy, dude. He’s nice and he wants to spread niceness. He only gives coal if someone is really mean.”

 

Sam frowned as he thought about that answer. “So it’s like Jesus.”

 

She smiled. “Exactly. That’s why he comes for His birthday.”

 

“Okay. Can you make sure he brings Mattie’s presents anyway?”

 

“Sure thing, bud.”

 

***

 

Tobin knocked on Mattie’s half open door. She smiled when she saw that her daughter had actually put on the matching pajamas. “Nice outfit.”

 

She rolled her eyes. “Yeah, yeah.”

 

“Are you up here for the night?”

 

Mattie shrugged. “I guess. Why?”

 

Tobin grinned. “Well, Santa’s gonna come so…”

 

She made a face. “So I can’t come downstairs once you start putting presents under the tree? Why?”

 

“I...just...we want to keep everything a surprise, okay?”

 

Mattie sighed melodramatically. “Finnee…”

 

***

 

“I think this is A7.”

 

“I’ve already got A7. I need D3 next.”

 

“Do you have the English version of the instructions?”

 

“Babe, how about I do the assembly and you finish the wrapping?”

 

Christen turned from the semi-organized pile of parts in front of her to raise her eyebrows at Tobin. “Are you not finding me helpful?”

 

Tobin paused cautiously. “Uh..no? Yes? I just—I’m not good at wrapping, and you’re really good at it, so..”

 

Christen shook her head and smirked. “Fine. I’ll leave you to your building.”

 

“I thought you liked when I fixed things with my hands?”

 

“Oh yes, it’s very sexy, honey,” Christen said flatly. 

 

“Don’t try to—“

 

“Shh,” Christen put her finger to her lips and listened. She could see the recognition on Tobin’s face as feet continued down the stairs. 

 

_ ”Sam?” _ Tobin mouthed. 

 

She frowned and shook her head, putting down the large sheet of bike assembly instructions and walking to the stairwell. Mattie looked up like she was surprised to be caught. 

 

“What’s up? Are you okay?” Christen asked.

 

She half-shrugged. “I’m fine, I just can’t sleep. I was gonna get some water.”

 

“Well, the living room is in full...” she gestured to try to convey the chaos,  “Santa’s village mode right now, so why don’t I bring you up a glass?”

 

Mattie bit her lip. “Okay.” She turned and dragged her feet as she went back up the stairs.

Christen walked back through the living room to the kitchen. 

 

“It was Mat?” Tobin asked. 

 

“Yeah, she can’t sleep.”

 

“Is she okay?”

 

“I’m gonna bring her some water and try to figure out what’s up.”

 

“Good luck with that one.”

 

“Yeah.”

 

She knocked on Mattie’s door a minute later, water in hand. Mattie was lying on her bed facing the wall, but turned her head to look as Christen entered and pushed something under her pillow.

 

“Thanks,” she said, sitting up and taking the water.

 

Christen sat on the edge of her bed and nodded toward her pillow. “What are you up to?”

 

“Nothing,” she said, gesturing noncommittally. 

 

“You seem down.”

 

“I’m not.”

 

“Did something happen at Grandma and Grampa’s? You were fine earlier.”

 

Mattie shook her head but turned so her face was buried her in her pillow and her back was to Christen. 

 

“Mat,” she said, placing a hand on her arm. “What’s wrong? What happened?”

 

“Nothing,” Mattie’s muffled voice replied. 

 

_ “Mattie.” _

 

She didn’t lift her head, but Mattie stuck her hand under her pillow and took out two battered 4x6 pictures and thrust them toward Christen. Christen grabbed the photos and turned them over to see the front. One had a younger woman spinning a blindfolded girl that had to be Mattie around in front of a pinata. The other had an older woman in a Santa hat holding a pudgy baby Sam. 

“These are great. Where did they come from? I’ve never seen them before,” Christen said, looking at the details of the pictures. 

 

“My shoebox,” Mattie answered in a croaky voice. 

 

Christen looked up and saw her eyes starting to water. “That’s why you’re sad? Because you miss them?”

 

She blinked and turned back toward the wall. 

 

“It’s okay to miss them. It would be weird if you didn’t.” Mattie said nothing. “Do you want to talk about it? About them? It might help. Y’know. It might make you feel better.”

 

She didn’t respond for a minute.

 

“You don’t have to tell me, but I’d like to know more about them.”

 

Mattie sighed and turned toward the ceiling with an arm over her eyes.  “Abuela loovvveedd Christmas.” She let her arm fall from her face so she could look at Christen. “Like she liked all the religious parts, but she liked the gimmicky stuff too. Mexican Christmas stuff, American Christmas stuff, movies, decorations, carols--all of it. She couldn’t get enough.”

 

Christen smiled and waited for her to continue. 

 

“I was just--we used to have Las Posadas for nine days, and then Christmas Eve, for the last night, we would go to Midnight Mass. And it’s almost midnight, so I was just thinking about it. That’s why I couldn’t sleep.”

 

Christen looked at her alarm clock. “It’s 11:15.”

 

“Yeah…” Mattie said slowly. “I mean, I was just thinking about all of it I guess...”

 

“Where did you guys go for Midnight Mass?”

 

“St. Joseph’s? It’s that one with the big windows we pass on the way to the airport.”

 

“Do you want to go?”

 

“Huh?”

 

“To Midnight Mass. It’s 11:15. We could still go.”

 

Mattie gave her a confused look. 

 

“We don’t have to, but if you wanted to go…”

 

“I’m wearing my pajamas.”

 

“Okay. Maybe we can plan for it next year--”

 

“No, I mean I have to change, right?”

 

Christen smiled. “You change, I’m gonna go talk to Mom.”

 

***

 

“Like, now?”

 

“Well, it’s... _ midnight _ mass.”

 

“You’re gonna take her?” Tobin asked, surprised.

 

“We can’t both go, one of us has to be here when my dad gets here, and I’m not sure how we’d get Sam up and cooperating. So unless you want to go…”

 

Tobin laughed and shook her head. “I’m not even done with the bike, and I’m sure the Landspeeder is going to be hella complicated. I think the assembly part of the team needs to stay here if we’re gonna get to sleep tonight. What wrapping do you have left?”

 

“Like one more box and then the bows on the big presents.”

 

“Yeah, see?”

 

“I mean I’m sure I could figure out the directions if you wanted to go…”

 

“Babe. Go get dressed.”

 

“Okay fine. But nothing with power tools while I’m gone. I don’t want to come back and find my living room a construction site.”

 

“You sure it’s not just that you want to watch?”

 

Christen rolled her eyes. “I’m going to church, babe. You shouldn’t put those thoughts in my head.”

 

“Look, of everything I do to glorify Him--”

 

“Alright, now I’m definitely going upstairs.”

 

***

 

Christen grabbed two of the pamphlets as they walked into the back of the church. “Is the mass gonna be in Spanish or English?” she asked, looking at the cover of the booklet with both languages on it.

 

“I think it’s a mix of both. Or at least that’s what I remember.” Mattie smirked. “Are you gonna need me to translate?” 

 

Christen rolled her eyes. “Puedo entender espanol,  _ mi hija. _ ”

 

Mattie snorted. “This should be good.”

 

“I’ll be fine,” she said, lowering her voice. “Honestly, I’m more concerned about remembering when to stand and kneel.”

 

“Crap. I forgot about that.”

 

***

 

“I always forget that the songs at Christmas are all, like...Christmas songs. Y’know?” Christen asked after the car had been silent for a few minutes. Mattie stared out the passenger window. Christen glanced at her as they passed a streetlight that temporarily illuminated her face. She could see a tear tract on her cheek. 

 

“Are you glad we went?”

 

“Yeah.” Mattie cleared her throat. “It was nice.”

 

Christen chewed on her lip. “Mat, I don’t--I know it’s not the same, but if you tell us some of the traditions your Abulela had, maybe we could, y’know, carry them on? Or make our own version?” 

 

Mattie looked down at her lap. “I thought we were making new traditions.”

 

“We are,” she answered slowly. “That doesn’t mean we can’t keep some of the old ones.”

 

“We don’t have to…”

 

“Why wouldn’t we want to? They’re your family traditions. We’re your family.”

 

“Why are you and Mom so obsessed with making all these traditions anyway? It’s like everything we’ve done for the past month has to become this weird tradition.”

 

Christen slowed to a stop at the last light before they were home. “You want the real answer?”

 

Mattie nodded. 

 

“This is our first Christmas with you guys, and I know the last two haven’t been very good for you or for Sammy.” She gestured unsurely. ”I don’t know, I guess it’s just like...if we make this one extra special...it’ll be like hitting a reset button on Christmas for you guys. So you won’t need to have any bad memories about it.”

 

Mattie looked down. “I guess that’s not, like, a bad reason,” she grumbled. 

 

Christen smiled. “So...c’mon. What’s another tradition you had with Abuela?

 

“We used to eat dinner when we got home from mass, and then after I would get to have cookies and hot cocoa even though it was like 2 in the morning.”

 

“You know, we have hot cocoa in the kitchen. And probably some leftover cookies, too.”

 

Mattie finally broke into a full grin. “Why is Grandpa’s car here?” she asked as they pulled in the driveway. 

 

“Oops, hold on. I have to go in and make sure they’re ready for us.”

 

Christen parked the car and got out, sticking her head in the front door. “Babe?” she whisper-yelled. 

 

Tobin appeared from behind the door to the garage, which was partially ajar. “Hey, you’re back.”

 

“Is it safe for Mattie to get to the kitchen from here?”

 

She grimaced. “I would take her in through the back. Your dad and I are just getting our new friend to calm down.”

 

“Okay. We’re gonna go make hot cocoa if you want some.” 

 

Tobin smiled curiously. “How was the service?”

 

“Good. I...think we’re gonna be adding a few new traditions next Christmas. Or some new to us traditions.”

 

She nodded. “Sounds like a plan.”

 

Mattie gave plenty of attitude about not being able to use the front door.

 

“We’re just trying to maintain the surprise, okay? Walking down and seeing all the presents...it’s part of the magic of Christmas morning.”

 

She rolled her eyes but Christen could tell she accepted that answer. Maybe the Christmas hymns had loosened her up. 

 

Once in the kitchen, Christen whipped up the cocoa and poured herself and Mattie a mug.  

 

“Matilde the great!” Cody exclaimed as he walked into the kitchen, in a voice that was clearly supposed to be quiet, but still maintained its booming quality. “It’s been too long!”

 

“Dad, if you wake Sam up, I swear,” Christen warned quietly.

 

“Grandpa I saw you like four hours ago,” Mattie said, rolling her eyes.

 

Cody shook his head. “Too long,” he answered in a stage whisper that was clearly for Christen’s benefit. 

 

“What are you doing here?”

 

“One of you and Sammy’s presents needed special delivery,” he answered, winking. 

 

“No hints!” Tobin whispered, joining them in the kitchen. She walked over to the stove and poured a mug of hot chocolate. “Cody?”

 

“No, I gotta get going. If I drink that I’m gonna fall asleep.”

 

Tobin laughed. “That’s exactly why I want to drink this.”

 

“How are we doing on the assembly tasks?” Christen asked. 

 

“Done!” she said triumphantly.

 

Christen grinned. “Wow, I’m impressed.”

 

“I put the bows on them and everything.”

 

“Damn, babe.”

 

“Ugh, it’s too late at night--or early in the morning--or whatever--for you guys to be being this gross,” Mattie complained, pushing her empty mug away and laying her head on her forearms on the table.

 

“I think it might be time for bed,” Christen said, brushing the hair back from Mattie’s face. 

 

She heard a yelp and a whine come from the garage and looked at Tobin. They wondered silently if Mattie had heard the noise, but she had picked up her head and furrowed her brows. 

 

“Was that--”

 

“That was a sign that it’s definitely time for you to go to bed,” Tobin answered. “C’mon.” 

 

She pouted and stood, shuffling to take her mug to the dishwasher and then to the doorway to the living room where Tobin stood. “What are you doing?”

 

“I’m gonna cover your eyes so you can’t see the presents.”

 

That garnered Mattie’s best exasperated look.  “Can’t I just close my eyes?”

 

“You’ll peek.”

 

“No I won’t.”

 

“I don’t believe you.”

 

Tobin guided a blinded Mattie through the living room and to the base of the stairwell. “You gonna put your pjs back on so we match again?”

 

Mattie smiled.

 

“What?”

 

She reached out and pulled Tobin into a hug. “Merry Christmas, Mom.”

 

“Merry Christmas, Mattie.”

 

***

 

Sam woke up at six and burst into his mothers’ room ready to open presents. They convinced him to wait until Mattie woke up on her own, but they only made it until 6:30 before giving up. Tobin had to go downstairs to let one of the presents out to pee anyway. Once they had double checked all the presents, and Sam could not possibly be convinced to wait at the top of the stairs for even one second longer, Christen called them down. Sam’s eyes lit up at the display, and for once Mattie didn’t try to hide her excitement behind a cool facade. 

 

“Wait, you have to open this one first,” Tobin said when Sam went immediately for the bike with the big red bow on it. 

 

“Why?” he asked, just as the box barked. 

 

“I think this present’s going to get a little jealous if you open any others first.”

 

Mattie grinned and guided Sam over to the large box and helped him pull off the lid. A floppy eared puppy with short black fur and big brown eyes looked up at them. 

 

“My puppy!” Sam said happily. He reached into the box and tried to lift the dog out, but even with the puppy climbing up the side they couldn’t manage it. 

 

“Here, Sammy,” Christen said, taking the dog and his bed out of the box and placing them on the ground. Sam immediately kissed his head.

 

Mattie smiled as pet the newest member of the family. “You know he’s going to be too excited to open any other presents now, right?”

 

“Yeah, what about you?” Tobin asked. 

 

She shrugged. “I might be too.”

 

“What’s his name?” Sam asked.

 

“We were gonna let you guys pick. What do you think?”

 

“Hmm...I think we should name him Poe,” Sam concluded.

 

Tobin laughed. “Like Poe Dameron?”

 

Sam nodded emphatically.

 

“What do you think, Mattie?” Christen asked. 

 

“I like Poe.” She tilted her head. “Like las posadas. Because we got him for Christmas, so we should name him after a Christmas tradition.”

 

Tobin and Christen smiled at each other. “Alright, Poe it is, then,” Tobin affirmed. They sat down on either side of the kids, who were still both vying for the puppy’s attention. 

 

“You know getting a puppy isn’t gonna be a Christmas tradition, right?” Christen teased Mattie.

 

“No, but he’ll be with us every Christmas,” she answered, too enamoured with the dog to be anything but sincere.

 

“So he’s a good Christmas memory?”

 

Mattie smiled. “Yeah, he’s a good Christmas memory.”


End file.
